Olympia is the capital of Washington. The city is situated in a beautiful setting at the southern portion of Puget Sound on Budd Inlet in Thurston County with the Olympic Mountains positioned to the northwest and the enormous MT. Rainier located to the southeast. The city of Olympia has been recognized as the center for fine arts for the region and is well known for its music scene.
The Olympia area was home to the Squaxin, Chelhalis, Duwamish, Nisqually, Suquamish and the Puyallup tribes. In 1792 Peter Puget charted the region. During the 1840’s Edmund Sylvester and Levi Smith claimed the area that is now the downtown. Soon, the city which was known as Smithfield was the location of thriving lumber and mill industries. In 1853 the citizens of the town decided to rename it Olympia after the nearby Olympic Mountains. Olympia was incorporated in 1859.The downtown area has been designated as a National Historic District. An earthquake which occurred in 1949 severely damaged a large number of historic structures which unfortunately had to be demolished.
Olympia is home to numerous theater companies and is the location of the Olympia Film Society’s annual film festival. The “Procession of the Species” parade consists of community members wearing costumes which portray a wide variety of species. The parade is popular with residents and tourists. The Capital Building is recognized as one of the biggest free standing masonry domes in the entire world.
There are numerous attractions in the city including; Olympia Marina, Capital Playhouse, Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Hands On Children’s Museum, Reinhart Young House and Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log